


Lost at Sea

by MintyEye



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Illness, Pirate AU, kidnapped MC, rebellious mc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:56:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23031304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MintyEye/pseuds/MintyEye
Summary: While docked at port, the pirate crew Mint Eye had kidnapped a girl to join them. The second in command to the captain, Ray, struggles with an illness and often locks himself away for days. How will MC and Ray be able to survive their life at sea? What will happen?
Relationships: Choi Saeran & Main Character, Choi Saeran/Main Character, Choi Saeran/Original Character(s), Choi Saeran/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 23





	1. Magenta

The sound of a body hitting the floor of the deck had filled the still air with noise. Ray had startled awake, falling out of bed in his cabin as the second thud of a body, his, filled the silence of the room shortly after. He let out a groan, standing up and brushing himself off before raising a hand to his head, a small pain causing him discomfort. He slid his boots and dark magenta coat on, looking at his black silhouette in a mirror that glistened in the moonlight. He could see how messy his hair had looked, despite the silhouette being vague. He then lit up a candle that rested in its holder, nearly collecting dust on the side of his desk.

The dark room he was in lit up, the walls painted a yellowish orange color, flickering with the flame that could blow out with the smallest breeze. The match he held blew out, leaving the candle to be the only flame in the room with him. He opened the door and exited his cabin, approaching the sight of the noise that had woken him up with caution and uncertainty. 

At first glance, there were three silhouettes of figures on the deck, two standing while one laid on the floor, moving restlessly. The fall had looked painful, the two people who had held her towering over her. They looked down, watching her as she struggled to stand. There were ropes around her wrists and ankles, tying them together. Another person who was forced to join their crew, it appeared so.

“Gentlemen, what are you doing out here at this hour?” Ray had spoken quietly.

There was a tightness to his throat that suggested he had to cough, but he repressed it. Any sign of illness outside of his cabin would cause them to worry, and possibly throw him overboard.

There was no room for the ill on a ship out at sea. But they were docked for a few days, stocking up on supplies before their next voyage. Food, water, maps, and now people.

“Ah, quartermaster Ray.” One of the crew members had walked a little closer to him, prompting Ray to back away slowly.

“We found this girl wandering around the port at night. She seemed fitting for the crew, so we took her with us.” The other crew member had explained to him.

A pit had made its way into Ray’s stomach, growing the longer he thought about kidnapping people for their crew. An image filled his mind for just a second, a glass, heart-shaped bottle filled with a mint liquid, that shone like gold in the sunlight. The person in front of him let out a noise, but it was muffled by the rag that had covered her mouth. The sound was still enough to snap him out of his thoughts, and bring him back to the present.

“How barbaric..” He muttered to himself, looking at the sight in front of him.

Even just coming closer to the girl in question, he could see her distress. She didn’t want to be here, rocking back and forth with the ship that creaked and groaned as the night remained still.

“Please take her to my cabin.. I’ll handle the new mate from there.” He instructed the two crew members in front of him, who had nodded and bent down to pick the girl up again.

Following his command, they walked in the direction of the cabin with the squirming girl in their hands. Their grip seemed tight around her, as she was unable to make them move or let her go the closer they got to his cabin. He followed behind slowly, making sure he was at a far enough distance before coughing into his sleeve. 

One cough was enough to shake his entire frail form, but Ray refused to let it bother him as a breeze blew by, sending a chill down his spine and causing his candle to blow out. He was left in the darkness, his only guide being the footsteps of the crewmates, and the creaking of a door opening. He followed the sounds until he found himself in his cabin once again, the girl laid on his bed.

“Thank you… now please leave. You shouldn’t be here.” Ray had commanded once again, with an air of serenity behind him.

“Right away!” One of them had said, before both had left the cabin without hesitation.

They closed the door behind them, leaving only the girl on his bed and him in the room alone. Ray had opened a drawer in his desk again, pulling out the matches and lighting his candle once more, filling the room with an orange glow. The girl had stopped squirming, and instead looked at him as he took in her appearance.

Brown hair, even darker brown eyes, and a dress that made her appear as though she lacked wealth. Her face was dirty, her dress in even worse condition, tattered and torn. He had moved away a little, unsettled by the look she gave him, determined and full of fire despite her situation. 

There was another noise, before Ray had decided to take off the cloth that had blocked her mouth. She immediately let out a deep breath, able to speak.

“What in tarnation?!” Was the first thing she had said, a yell, which caused him to flinch away. 

There was a slight ringing in his ears, but the yelling had to stop. 

“Please don’t yell… You might wake somebody up..” He spoke quietly to her.

There was another feeling of tightness in the back of his throat, another cough that wanted to surface. He had held the cough back, not wanting to reveal his situation to anyone but the captain.

“Why would you people kidnap me?” The girl had spoken in a quieter tone, but the confusion and anger was still present on her face.

“I could let you go if you wanted… I apologize on their behalf. They said you looked like you would fit in here.” Ray had turned away, looking at his desk. 

His hands itched to hold his quill again, eager to flip the familiar pages of his journal as he thought of what to write down as an entry. A species of fish, a new crew member, the state of the food, their current amount of money, or a new symptom discovered, he had a desire to write it all down under a dated entry. 

“Fit in where? On this old ship?” She retorted, which caused Ray to just wince slightly. But her tone had just the slightest hint of curiosity.

“It’s all we have, but we were all in a similar situation to you once…” He started, not wanting to continue unless she had asked for it. 

He had no recollection of his story, each time he tried to remember only brought up static, and a few words he could just hardly make out.

“Sae… ran..”

He shook the thoughts out of his head as he awaited an answer from her.

“A similar situation?” Her tone had completely lost its aggression, and instead had a feeling of similar curiosity to the other crew members he’s talked to in the past.

“We were all poor, and of no real money. That’s when the captain took us under her wing. We’re more free here… and so happy without worrying about economical status..” He continued, taking her response as a cue to go on.

Each story was the same, but the pictures painted about them by England claimed them to be barbaric pirates, with no mercy to the people around them. Angry souls who stole treasure from the ground, and fought anyone who came near them. Ray glanced at the sword next to his desk, sheathed and hidden away. His rapier, a light sword that prioritized speed over damage. It collected dust, not having been touched for what felt like years.

“But what about your families? What would they think about you going missing?” She had asked him, and the question had struck him in the heart.

He could feel his heart tighten a little subconsciously as he thought about it, and he couldn’t figure out why. He had no family, the only people he had were the members on this ship, Magenta.

“Most of us, including me, don’t have family. We don’t have a place to call home, which is why we have this. Magenta, a ship of hopes and dreams..” He explained to her quietly, a small air of fondness in his voice.

He held his head down low, avoiding eye contact, but the soft gaze he held on everything had persisted. 

“But I have a family! They’ll worry about me!” She had exclaimed, which broke their silence with another shout. 

Ray had nearly fallen out of his chair at the loud volume, but he held to his desk tightly to prevent such a thing from happening.

“Please don’t yell..” He had asked her again, turning to face the distressed woman who looked desperate to leave.

“I promise you.. You’ll be able to see them again…” He muttered, before coming with his final verdict.

“But you’ll stay here with us… I’d love to have you here.” He looked back to the drawer where his journal was located, before opening it up.

It revealed a leather-bound notebook, some pages filled to the brim with ink writing of notes that he had written. He pulled the journal away from the drawer and placed it on his desk, flipping to a new page before looking at her from the corner of his eye.

“What’s your name, new mate?” He had asked her, calling her a mate, even though she had not agreed.

“And why should I tell you?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“So I can log you down in my journal..” He mumbled, looking away again.

“Sunset.” She had said immediately after.

“Oh Oka-” He had started to say, but was interrupted by Sunset, who was not done talking.

“But, you have to tell me your name too. The kidnappers mentioned it, but I couldn’t hear.” She had finally finished speaking, which prompted Ray to share his name with her.

“My name..? But why? It’s not that important.” Was all he said.

“It’s courtesy for you to share your name after someone else has shared theirs.” She proclaimed, informing him of something he seemingly didn’t know.

“I do not wish to introduce myself… You will not see me around.” Ray had leaned back in his chair.

The new entry already had some things about her written down. Her name, status, appearance, the date it currently was, yet there were so many blanks he had yet to fill. He couldn’t figure out how old she was, or what she could do. 

By the time he had finished writing everything down, he noticed she had fallen asleep on the bed, and the sunlight marking the morning had begun to filter in through the crack under the door. He had not noticed how much time had passed, but it was time for her to leave his cabin and introduce herself to the captain, for her own journey on the ship to begin.

He opened a drawer and pulled out a small dagger, walking towards her weakly. He had nearly forgotten that the ropes around her wrists and ankles still bound her to herself, making her unable to move. He slowly sawed away at the rope until it was cut, freeing her from its constricting wrap around her.

He then placed the knife back down on his desk and poked her gently.

“It’s time to get up now, you must leave to meet the captain.” He said to her, before turning back towards his desk and sitting down once more.

She had taken a short time to wake up and roll out of his bed, but she had seemed relieved that she could now move without the restraints of the ropes that immobilized her. She didn’t ask for his name again, nor did she say anything as she had left his cabin, leaving him to silently wonder to himself.

With him being alone, he could no longer resist the urge of having a coughing fit.


	2. Gold

When Sunset had left the white-haired boy’s cabin, she had noticed that the deck was still as silent as it had been before she slept. Despite the sun rising over the horizon, not one person had traversed the wooden floors. She was alone, the only sounds being the splash of waves against the ship, and the creaks and groans of wood that rocked left and right. That was, until she heard a pair of heeled boots walking behind her. 

She turned around, her dress slowing her movement just slightly as she stared at the person who was walking behind her. 

It wasn’t the boy, nor was it anyone she had seen before. The person had brilliant golden hair, and emerald green eyes that stared her down as the person inspected her. The hat she wore was similar to that of a musketeer’s, black with golden outlines. The color had matched her coat, which also consisted of black with yellow outlines that shone like gold. The coat was buttoned up, but her waist was shown as a belt wrapped around it. Her pants were mostly hidden by the coat that had looked so long, but her boots had heels, and made her appear taller than she actually was.

She looked far more elegant than any of the pirates she’s seen on this ship, even more so than the frail boy who had freed her from the ropes. Strangely enough, Sunset couldn’t stop thinking about him. She looked in the direction of his cabin subtly, losing herself in her thoughts for just a minute, before snapping herself out of it.

“You must be Sunset.” The person had commented, breaking the tension between the two.

“How did you know my na-” Sunset was interrupted by the person again, who had not finished speaking.

“My name is Rika, but you may call me captain.” The captain had introduced herself.

“You’re the captain of this ship?” Sunset couldn’t resist asking, her curiosity peaking.

“This ship is named Magenta, and we are the pirate crew Mint Eye. This is a place of hopes and dreams, we hope you understand.” The captain had explained, not answering Sunset’s previous question.

Sunset realized then that what the captain had said reminded her of what the boy had explained to her that night. He had called the ship Magenta, and the crew Mint Eye. It was a strange name, but Sunset had not questioned it until now, while she was fully awake. It all confused her so much.

“You have a lot of potential, you know,” The captain had started, completely ignoring Sunset. It was as though she wasn’t listening to what Sunset had tried to say.

“I was just like you, perhaps we could work together.” After that sentence, she had turned to leave, leaving Sunset to watch in confusion as she tried to process what the captain had said.

She didn’t notice when the other crew mates slowly surfaced and began to work on the ship, scrubbing the deck and preparing the sails to embark on a new journey across the sea. She slowly walked towards the edge of the ship, leaning against the railing as she looked out onto the ocean, the breezes that swept through messing up her hair more than it had been already.

She had stood there for a while, wondering what she was going to do to adapt to her new life. Pirates didn’t have art supplies for her to use, but they had food and money, clothes and jewelry, things she never had with her family at home. And pirates had adventures, she’d be able to see the world with them, which had excited her just a little, a feeling of butterflies in her stomach coming over her.

She almost didn’t notice that the crew had stopped working when she had finally snapped out of her thoughts once again, the silence chilling and unnatural. She turned around, wondering what was going on, until she had noticed the presence of the boy again, in full daylight.

He had appeared far paler than he did in the darkness of night, his skin almost appearing as white as a bed sheet. His cheeks were flushed a light pink, almost mimicking the appearance that came with having a fever. His frame was far frailer and skinnier than she had remembered it to be. However his clothes appeared to be tailored to him, the waistcoat and pants hugging his form slightly. His snow white hair with pink tips had appeared messy and unkempt, but not nearly as much as everyone else on the ship.

His mint colored eyes looked doubtful as he looked over the crew, watching them as they looked at him in awe.

Sunset had walked towards one of the crew mates, curious as to what was going on.

“Hey, why are you all staring at him like that?” She had whispered, looking at the boy with an apologetic gaze.

“You don’t know?” The crew mate had whispered back, not wanting to disturb the sighs in awe, and the few times he had quietly coughed into his hand.

“No, what is it?” She had responded, waiting for an answer from the person next to her.

“That’s Ray, the quartermaster. He almost never leaves his cabin, this is extremely rare to see him here.” The person had explained, but Sunset almost hadn’t listened to the second part of his sentence.

The boy’s name was Ray.

She had asked what his name was last night, before she had fallen asleep. He had asked for hers, but she had given it under the condition he gave her his. Ray had never offered his name, instead insisting that it wasn’t important. Sunset had remembered it all, including the mesmerizing sound of his quill against the paper of that journal he had on his desk that put her to sleep.

“I hope you all are working hard… the captain requests we leave by evening.” Ray had spoken, his voice still as soft and weak as it was when she had heard it for the first time.

The small crowd of crew members had given their nods, but not a word was said among them. 

Ray’s gaze had lingered on Sunset, his own thoughts running rampant as he realized what he said wasn’t entirely true. She did end up seeing him again.

“Good, please work accordingly… the captain wants no breaks until we’re out at sea.” Was all he had said, before turning back towards his cabin.

When the door to the cabin had closed behind him, the whole crew let out a sigh of relief. The silence and tension in the air was strong with his presence, but relaxed and back to its carefree way when he had disappeared again. It all didn’t sit well with her.

Sunset wasted no time walking quietly towards the door of the cabin, staring at it, hoping to hear something that was going on inside, but there was nothing but silence. Nothing to eavesdrop on. What the crew mate had said ran through her mind once again, and she slowly turned the knob to the door, opening it and entering the room. She closed it behind her, looking around the place once again.

For a cabin, it looked far more organized than she had expected it to be. There was a desk against the back wall of the room, centered, with a bed on the right side and a mirror on the right. The wall closest to the door was decorated with dressers, presumably with the clothes he wore inside the drawers. There was a sword that leaned against the desk, and on the chair was a man hunched over, his head on the desk.

Sunset walked closer to him, the floors creaking as she approached him. When she had gotten close enough, she had noticed his eyes were closed, his hands resting on his lap. His expression lacked the worry and doubt it had before, just a minute ago when he was out directing the other members of the ship. 

What she did notice was that his breathing wasn’t normal. 

It didn’t seem calm or slow, but rather like he was struggling to breathe just slightly. It was rough, which worried her enough to prompt Sunset to shake Ray just barely, hoping it would wake him up. 

He opened one eye slowly before noticing the girl in front of him, which startled him awake enough for him to nearly fall out of his chair. Sunset had quickly reached forward to keep him from hitting the floor, mumbling her apologies as she felt bad for awakening him.

“What are you doing here..?” He had asked her, his eyes looked full of fear, but his calm demeanor tried to make her think otherwise.

“I wanted to check on you, and I noticed your breathing sounded weird. I got worried.” Sunset had explained herself and her actions, hoping it would help in just the slightest.

The fear in his eyes had only grown, which caused her to worry that he might fall into a panic. But he didn’t, he sat there and stared at her as his thoughts were trying to process what had happened. The girl he had met yesterday got concerned over him and tried to check on him. Only the captain had ever bothered to check on him.

“Well.. thank you… for the concern. But I assure you, I’m quite fine.” Ray had insisted, turning away from his eye contact and looking back to his desk.

He was asleep for a short five minutes, but in that time Sunset had managed to sneak in. His thoughts continued to run wild as Sunset had spoken again.

“Ray…” Ray immediately broke out of his thoughts, turning his head to look at her quickly.

His head had pounded from the sudden movement, which caused him to subconsciously place a hand to it in hopes that it would ease the pain, before deciding to answer her.

“How did you know my name? I never told you…” He had asked her, curious.

Unlike Sunset, he couldn’t remember the events of last night clearly. His own memory was hazy, hard to get around as he struggled to figure out if he did tell her or not. The captain had come to his cabin that morning with the medicine meant to save him, the elixir of salvation, but all it had done was make his illness angry.

“A crew mate had told me while you were talking, why didn’t you tell me?” She raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

“It was not important, you were not supposed to meet me again.” He mumbled, yawning behind his hand.

Despite the abrupt awakening, his exhaustion was still far bigger than he had anticipated, causing him to grow slow in movements. The longer he remained awake and alert, the heavier his eyelids had felt. His thoughts had grown slow, no longer bothering him with the fast pace he was accustomed to while commanding the crew. He had tried to process what Sunset had said to him, but each word felt slow and unnatural. He laid his head on the desk again after a brief moment of silence, still listening to what she had to say while just barely unconscious.

“I will meet you again, each day. Whether you like it or not, you’re the only person I really know here.” She had told him, her gaze staring down into him. 

“Please…” He had struggled to say, even Sunset could hear how slurred with exhaustion his words had felt.

“Don’t..” He could no longer keep his eyes open, instead choosing to close them once again.

Sunset watched as he fell asleep in front of her, his breathing slowly but surely evening out to the strained state it was in before. Even while he was awake, he could tell he had a slight difficulty. It worried her dearly, but all she could do was leave the cabin and help with the pirates’ tasks.

Leaving Ray alone to his silence once again.


	3. Fatigue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm... so sorry this took me so long to update  
> I fell into a bit of a writer's block and found myself unmotivated to write :,))
> 
> But! I managed to get this out!  
> So be patient with me as I get my motivation back together!!  
> Thank you for reading !

The sound of coughing broke the silence of the room, announcing Ray’s consciousness after what felt like an eternity of sleeping. He had opened his eyes slowly, the lightheaded feeling washing over him as he sat up and leaned back in his chair. His back, being hunched over for so long, ached and caused Ray pain as he straightened out. His cheeks were flushed red, a bead of sweat slipping down his forehead and down to his chin, where it dripped off of him and onto his desk.

The air in the room felt thick, dust filling the area. The whole place reeked of the old wood and sea water scent, causing the unsettling feeling in his stomach to grow more aggressive and angry towards him. He could feel his face whiten as he struggled to stand, nearly falling over as the ship rocked to the left. The movement caused him to tumble closer to his bed, and further away from the door. 

There was no more sunlight streaming through the crack under the old wooden door, informing him that it was no longer day, like it had been before he had fallen unconscious.

  
“Why are you acting up now… there’s still so much work to do.” Ray had mumbled, trying to stagger back towards his desk, where his journal lay untouched for several hours.

The ship rocked to the right, which in return, made Ray stumble towards that direction faster than he was anticipating. He immediately grabbed his chair to steady himself as the ship then rocked to the left, and back to the right. The nauseous feeling in his stomach had grown, feeding Ray’s desire to sit back down. 

He placed himself down on the chair, leaning over his desk with a sense of fatigue. He balled his left hand into a fist, covering his mouth as he succumbed to another coughing fit. His whole body had shook again, trembling with each cough that had escaped him. He felt out of breath, unable to breathe as it continued. When it had ended, he immediately took a deep breath, hoping it would help his condition.

It felt like he was drowning, unable to breathe as he sank further into the dark depths of the salty ocean. He may as well have been thrown overboard by his crew mates for his illness, his threat to them. He leaned down a little more, resting his head on the desk. The wood felt cool against his burning forehead, causing him to subconsciously let out a sigh of relief. However, the longer he rested there, the less relief the coldness gave him. As the heat he held overpowered the cool feeling of his wooden desk.

He could feel his vision blacken in the corner of his eyes. All he could see was what was in front of him. His lap, his hands, the clothes he wore. The deck outside of his cabin had creaked and groaned as people walked on it. He could hear the noise, though just barely as his hearing had become muffled. He struggled to remain conscious as his fever fatigued him further, the bags under his eyes felt far heavier than he had expected.

There was a knock at his door, the sound filling the silence of the heavy air around him. Ray struggled to pick his head back up, trying to look in the direction of the door being knocked on. The soft pounds were different from Sunset’s, who had knocked before entering hours ago. He opened his mouth to declare that he was busy, but the sound couldn’t escape his mouth.

The door opened after a moment of silence, a silhouette standing in the frame, one hand holding a lamp. Inside was a candle that burned with a brilliant flame, lighting up the dark room he resided in to an orange hue. Looking closer with a squint, he could make out the messy blond hair only the captain had.

He watched with shame as she walked closer to him, the thuds of her heels against the floorboards waking him up with each step, more and more the longer it persisted. She placed the lamp down on his desk, looking at him with the smallest look of concern.   
  
“You’re ill, Ray.” She spoke emotionlessly, which caused the white-haired boy to avert his gaze away from her.

Silence filled the room, the only thing willing to break it at that moment being his coughs, which had consumed him every so often.   
  
“I know..” His voice had sounded so weak and small at that moment, his ears almost deaf to the sound. 

“This won’t interfere with your work, will it?” She stared down on him like he was a weak animal, a rabbit to her wolf.  
  
It was an intense stare that caused his stomach to twist into knots, the feeling of her eyes on his back sharp. He tried to push himself up, sitting up with his back against the chair. It felt uncomfortable, with an imprint of sweat on the desk where his forehead had rested just seconds before. He looked up to her, looking back at that strong gaze with a sigh.   
  
“No, it should not interfere with my work, my captain.” He turned away, staring down at the work he had left.   
  
The log he wrote in for her was closed on the center of the desk, the quill left in the inkwell where it was ready to be held and scratched against the paper. The creaking of the ship grew louder as it tilted to the left again, nearly causing Ray to lean out of his chair, and onto the floor. He quickly held onto the desk with a grip that made his knuckles whiten, preventing him from that fate.

“Then get to work, I expect a full report by tomorrow.” She turned on her heels, walking back towards the door, her footsteps fading slowly into the distance.  
  
“Yes, my captain.” The door opened, and then closed again.   
  
The room was pitch black once more, with the only light source available to him being a candle that’s been extinguished since the morning began. He searched through the drawers in his desk for a match, feeling around until he felt the familiar box they were held in. He pulled it out and placed it on the desk, taking one out and lighting it on fire.   
  
He brought the small flame to the candle, waiting until the candle lit on fire before blowing the match out. The room breathed a new sort of life, with the small flicker of that familiar candle bringing light to overshadow the darkness. There was a sort of somber feeling to the room, despite the serenity that came from watching the candle flame sway.   
  
The footsteps heard on the deck outside of his cabin had silenced, the only noise now being the crash of waves against the ship that creaked and groaned as it moved. He shifted his chair closer to his desk, the screech of the legs of the chair against the floor causing his ears to grow sore. He pulled the log closer to him and opened the book, flipping to a clean page.

He lightly grabbed the quill resting in its inkwell, pulling it out and writing the date on the top of the page. His grip on the pen was weak, enough that he could easily let go with the twitch of his hand. He refused to let that stop him as he began to write a report about the day. He described in sharp detail what their supplies had looked like, what the crew mates were doing, and the state of weather as he recalled what someone had once reported to him earlier. With every few words, he needed to dip the quill back in ink as it ran out, causing his writing to look scratchy and unfinished in some areas.

  
When he was done, he had placed the quill back where it belonged, keeping the book open as he leaned back against his chair once again. The hard wood of the backing of the chair had hurt his back the longer he leaned against it, but he chose to ignore it as the ink on the paper dried.   
  
“That should be-” He had tried to say, before being interrupted by his own coughs.   
  
He had balled one of his hands into a fist, coughing into it as his throat grew dry and sore the longer it had persisted. Tears had threatened to spill down his cheeks as his headache had grown worse at the loud noises. He had placed a hand on his chest immediately after, willing his rapidly beating heart to slow down as he grew progressively more faint.   
  
He placed a hand on his head, the room beginning to spin around him as the lightheadedness had fed into dizziness. He had tried to stand from his desk, pushing his chair back behind him with a sharp screech against the wood. In the end, he had stumbled and ended up collapsing on the floor with a loud thud. He couldn’t find the energy in him to move, instead choosing to lie there as his thoughts raced through his mind.   
  
_Is this how I’ll die..? On the floor of my cabin, at sea?_ _  
_ _  
_ _What will the savior think of me now..?_

He closed his eyes, not wanting to think about those things any longer. His hearing had grown progressively more muffled, until all he could hear was a loud ringing noise that refused to go away. He was unable to hear the footsteps on the deck outside, running towards his cabin. Nor was he able to hear the door opening again despite the savior having left ages before. All he could do in his delirium was groan as his fever had persisted.   
  
“Ray..!” A voice had called out to him, but he couldn’t figure out who it belonged to in his daze. 

He felt arms wrap around him, and the light feeling of being picked up and held by someone. He was held close to them, as he could feel their grasp on him despite his lack of control over his senses. He moved himself a little to lean into their touch, desperate for that short feeling of coolness against his burning skin.   
  
Through it all, he kept his eyes closed, unable to find the need to open them. He was silent, unable to speak as he was in the mysterious person’s care. He hadn’t once thought that it could be one of his crew mates, finally discovering the truth he had so desperately tried to cover up.

Shortly after he was picked up from the ground, he could feel himself sink into the mattress of his bed a little, the blanket he had being pulled over him. For a moment there was nothing but that ringing in his ears. Then there was a sudden cold feeling on his forehead, before the object causing that feeling pulled away. It didn’t take much time after for the area it had touched to grow red and sweaty once again.  
  
“You’re feverish…” The voice had said from next to him, in a soft tone. 

It was before Ray had completely succumbed to his illness that refused to leave regardless of how hard he fought.  
  
He wanted to open his eyes and look at the person who was caring for him, but instead, his thoughts grew sluggish and slower the longer he kept his eyes closed. His body had felt heavier the longer he fought against his growing exhaustion, until he was forced to give in. His breathing had slowed considerably, though his heart had still beat irregularly fast.

He had lost his consciousness, falling into a deep sleep, though not without its own discomforts. He let out a small strained noise as he struggled to fight the illness he was facing. 

All the mysterious person could do was watch as he was asleep, with that pained expression on his face.

  
  



	4. Awoken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha joke go funny
> 
> Once again, I'm sorry this took so long. I don't believe this is particularly written well either, but I felt guilty leaving this untouched for so long. Hopefully I can regain enough motivation to continue working on this consistently until it's finished, but for now I offer this.
> 
> My Tumblr is Mintyyeye, if you want to check it out!

After what felt like an eternity of sleeping in complete darkness, Ray had finally awoken to the sound of the floorboards creaking under weight. The immediate sounds of waves crashing against the ship filled the silence, with the occasional sounds of people talking outside of his cabin door. Without opening his eyes, he could tell it was morning by the sounds coming from his environment. Though, the only thing uncertain to him was how long he was asleep for. 

He had let out a small groan after losing himself in his thoughts, the headache he had before returning without mercy. It pounded against his skull, causing him discomfort and pain he’d rather avoid. His body had felt inordinately warm, feeding his headache and desire to do nothing but fall back asleep. He had not regained any of his lost energy through sleeping, and the added grumbling from his stomach in hunger did not help his condition. He had only rolled onto his side from underneath the blanket draped over him, curling into himself as he shivered.   
  
“...Ray?” A voice had called out to him.   
  
It was a familiar voice, one that he’s grown accustomed to over the few days he’s come to know her. Even without his vision, his mind had flashed a memory of her, and what she looked like. He didn’t need to open his eyes to see her.   
  
“....Ray? Are you awake?” The voice had gotten closer to him, and the sound of a chair’s legs scratching against the floor had filled the room for a short moment as she pulled herself closer to his bed.   
  
He could feel her gaze looking over him, and the possible questioning expression that painted her features. Something about her had ticked in him, and for some odd reason, he couldn’t get the images of her out of his head. He couldn’t get the thoughts of her to go away. He scrunched up his face a little in pain, groaning again as his head had continued to pound.   
  
“You could open your eyes at least.. I promise the light is dim.” She had said to him quietly.   
  
The more she spoke, the clearer the voice became, before he had eventually decided to heed her words and open his eyes for the first time since passing out. He had opened them slowly, his mint eyes unfocused as the world around him was too blurry to make anything out of it. It wasn’t until a few minutes after that his vision had finally decided to clear up, revealing the owner of the voice to him. And he was right, it was her.   
  
The girl his crew had kidnapped that night on the dock. The same person he had frequently met whether he wanted to or not. He had only looked at her, keeping his mouth shut as he took an immediate note of her expression. Genuine concern. Worry. Her mouth was curved into a frown, her eyes looking over him without moving.   
  
“That’s good, how are you feeling?” She had broken the short silence between the two of them with a question.   
  
He appreciated her small encouragement at him opening his eyes, but even with the dim light coming from the candle across the room, his head had still hurt, and his forehead was still drenched with sweat. He had pursed his lips for a moment, wanting to be irritated that she had intruded on his cabin again against his wishes, but he had remembered then that this was the girl who had saved him from the floor. Right as he blacked out.   
  
“..I’m…” He had tried to speak, though his throat was dry and sore from disuse.   
  
His voice had come out as hoarse and deeper than normal, which caused him to fall silent again as he thought over his words more carefully. He had furrowed his eyebrows a little, finding it significantly more difficult to focus than before.    
  
“It.. hurts.” He had complained weakly, discussing his migraine rather than his fever.

_ “I made you.... Some soup, Sae..ran….” _   
  
“...Make it.. Stop.” He had begged of her, hoping she’d be able to answer his pleas.    
  
But he knew that no person on deck would be able to cure his ailment. Not one of them had the background in medicine to be able to assist him. He was forced to suffer through these fevers and migraines alone as he worked to meet the savior’s demand, locked away in his cabin to hide himself from the world.   
  
He feared being caught. He feared being thrown overboard for something out of his control. The mere thought shook him to his core, causing him to tremble considerably more as the fear grew inside of him with each passing minute, feeding off of his uncontrollable thoughts.

He had snapped out of it as a hand was placed on his cheek. It was chillingly cold against his hot skin, a relaxing feeling for a few brief seconds before his fever had overpowered the small source of relaxation. The hand was then placed on his forehead, to feel his temperature, before it was pulled away again. He saw her frown deepen through his exhausted eyes, making him wonder what had caused that reaction out of her.   
  
“You’re still feverish… You should get some more rest. Your body can’t fight what’s causing the problem if you don’t rest.” She had informed him, hoping he would listen to her words.

“No… I can’t.” He had refused, causing Sunset to look frustrated for a moment, before loosening herself up.   
  
“And why’s that? I hope nobody’s expecting you to work in this condition. That is simply ridiculous.” She had retorted a little to herself, though she had shown no signs of actually being angry with him.

“The.. captain.” He had coughed out, though he was quick to move his arm in a way that he could cover his mouth as he struggled to breathe.   
  
It felt like he was coughing his lungs out, the burning sensation that came with it making him feel more miserable and helpless as it piled onto the rest of the inconveniences that plagued him. He had persisted though, and slowly moved his arm away from his mouth, putting it back to where it had been before he started to cough.    
  
He had rolled over in bed, back onto his backside. He moved his two arms behind him as well, using them both to attempt to lift his torso off of the bed, sitting up. As he struggled to maintain his weight, Sunset had pressed a hand onto his chest, just over the cravat wrapped around his neck. She pressed down on his chest lightly, causing his arms to shake and tremble as the added weight against him made it difficult to hold himself up. After a few seconds, they gave out from underneath him and he was forced back into laying down, unable to move.   
  
“You aren’t going anywhere until you’ve recovered, Ray..” She had looked down onto him apologetically, though he just couldn’t find the energy to argue against her.   
  
Just some slight movements like that had exhausted him considerably more than he had been after just waking up. The darkened bags under his eyes, now painfully more apparent due to his ghostly pale complexion, had felt heavier the longer he forced his eyes to stay open. It had begun to cause him pain as well, though not nearly to the extent of his migraine. 

“I’m sorry..” She had apologized to him, which had only caused a pang of guilt to course through him.   
  
He had opened his mouth to say something, but no words had come out. All he could do was sit and wait in silence, listening to the environmental noises that surrounded him as he struggled to think of something else to say. He wanted to let her know that he forgave her, that she had no reason to apologize. But there was another question that had been nagging at the back of his mind since he had woken up.

_ “Make… sure to drink it all… okay, Saeran..?” _   
  
“How long…” He had started, trying to piece it all together through his delirium.   
  
“How long have I been asleep…” He had finally managed to breathe it out, sighing as the words finally managed to escape his lips.   
  
“A few days, you were really sick.. Thankfully the fever seems to have lowered a bit.” She had forced a smile on her face, hoping it would reassure him just slightly.   
  
He noticed the forced smile but decided against commenting on it, instead letting his thoughts run wild as her words repeated in his mind. He had been out for a few days, and had only just woken up now.   
  
“You’ve.. Been taking care of me..?” He had asked, slowly raising his eyebrow at her questioningly.    
  
Though he wasn’t yet finished with what he had to say to her.   
  
“This long..?” He had asked afterwards, hoping for an answer from his supposed caretaker.   
  
_ “You’ll…. Feel better..” _ _   
_ _   
_ “Yeah. I couldn’t just leave you on the floor, could I? That’s improper.” She had softened her gaze towards him a little, hoping he’d relax a little more.   
  
“Seriously though.. You should get a little more rest. I don’t have any food, but at least sleeping will give you some energy.” She had tried advising him again.    
  
This time he had actually considered it, remaining silent as he once again replayed the words in his head. It wasn’t until he started swimming in his raging sea of thoughts that he realized somebody else talking to him. The voice was faint, weak compared to that of Sunset’s, who was right in front of him.   
  
He couldn’t remember where it was from, or who it belonged to. Only that they were trying to take care of him. The name he said, it had sounded familiar to him. But its origins were unclear to him, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever find out where it came from.    
  
_ “How…” _   
  
“...You’re right.” He had finally mustered the energy to agree with her, deciding that sleeping over that strange, faint voice may help him uncover who it belonged to.   
  
“You’ll sleep now?” She had asked hastily, tilting her head a little.   
  
“...Yes.” He had confirmed, answering his question after a minute of silence.   
  
She had clapped her hands together once quietly, before gently standing from her chair. She pushed it behind her a little, before dragging it off to where it originally belonged, at his desk, which had remained untouched. She grabbed a hold of the candle that burned in the corner of the room, making sure her grip on the candleholder was strong before walking back towards him.   
  
“I’ll be leaving now so you can rest properly… But I’ll be back by evening to check on you, alright?” She had asked, holding the burning candle close, but at a safe distance.   
  
“Okay.” Was all he had said, before coughing again.   
  
“Goodnight, Ray.” She had whispered, before blowing out the candle, and allowing Ray to be consumed by the darkness of his cabin.   
  
Despite it being light outside, there were no windows in his cabin. No source of light outside of the crack underneath his door and the flickering of candles that never seemed to blow out no matter how the ship rocked back and forth while at sea and at port.    
  
As Sunset had opened the door to leave, the light from outside had filled his room for a brief moment, before the space returned to darkness as the door closed from behind her. He was left to the silence, to the thoughts that he had grown accustomed to.    
  
After a few minutes, he could feel himself slowly start to drift off, unable to grab onto a thought to overthink about. He couldn’t keep himself awake through anxiety or fear of not working hard enough for the captain, nor through a thought that kept slipping through his fingers like sand.    
  
He had finally closed his eyes, falling back into a deep sleep that he wouldn’t wake up from for another few days.

  
  



End file.
